Evade and Rescue
by Yellow Optic
Summary: After leaving Test Chamber 19, Chell discovers a weird hallway with one of the rooms containing one of Aperture's highest-ranking executives. The secretary had lots to say, but was brought away before she could. Join Chell as she stun GLaDOS' plans to murder her, and rescue Caroline, while unearthing shocking secrets that will change her forever. Another multi-part effort.
1. Dash

"If you won't cooperate, I will just have to _convince_ you."

Chell's eyes darted around the test chamber.

Was it a trap? Did GLaDOS attempt to manipulate her into submission with reverse psychology? With this neurotoxin-crazed maniac overseeing you at all times, you will never be able to be sure.

The subject rubbed her fingers against the nylon jacket tied around her waist. She is constantly playing a game of chess with her robotic supervisor. Perhaps GLaDOS is looking for tells showing on her face that gave her plan away. Or in this case, a thought process.

"Don't talk. Don't show any emotion. Don't let her know."

She looked at the illuminated panel behind her next to the entry door.

"Test Chamber 19."

Internally, Chell laughed at the irony. Her friend had already tried to kill her. When she showed herself in this exact chamber. This is almost too obvious. Her insanity knows no bounds in her relentless pursuit in attempting to claim her life. Yet she had been brought up to have a strong desire for her own survival, and her dear killer herself gave the tools for her lab rat to escape her wrath.

"Oh," GLaDOS became impatient, "If your last resort is to simply _stand_ there and look around like a moron, I suggest you to _behave_ normally, and maybe you'll earn a little trip to the surface, where you can _stand_ there and look like a moron among the beautiful wildlife on the ground. The only difference is that the deer wouldn't _care_ about your sad little life."

Chell took the Excursion Funnel. It began to hover her over the bottomless pit on the ledge adjacent to the door. The fall back down wasn't as much as a worry now.

The door opened itself. Beyond it stood a huge dark void. She was taken aback.

"Excellent," GLaDOS smirked, "Someone that can't get over nothing. Literally nothing. If I were you, I would have jumped in, and enjoy my untimely death."

She turned to look down the abyss. The blue-tinted pit will guarantee death. But not the door.

She turned back to face the door, and ran into it. The light rays behind him slowly narrow, eventually diminishing itself into complete I existence, filling her vision completely with complete darkness.

All of a sudden, her feet floated up, flipping her sideways. She is levitating.

Or so she thought.

She felt the force of gravity. She began to fall. Her hair began to fly wildly. The darkness ended, replaced by a landing in another excursion funnel.

"Let's go see your parents. And no, you are _not_ going to be in a room again with confetti."

She was almost too scared to move. There was nothing to support her from falling into the abyss if she moved. Eyes shut tight, she's prepared for the worst. She can't escape either way.

"We're there."

She opened her eyes again, and climbed out of the funnel. Almost a surprise was she was atop solid ground.

"Right."

A door appeared. Chell slowly walked towards it, and pushed the lever down. The corridor inside was relatively worn-down. Cracked walls, chipped paint coating aged doors and switches, with amber-colored lights swing from the ceiling. Such a peculiar sight that's distinct from the world outside.

She came across a room with a giant window. A woman in a white dress inside had her hands cupping her head, while she sobbed quietly, occasionally raising her head to catch her breath, her eyes swelling red, with tears hanging from her cornea. She looked rather familiar.

GLaDOS was suspiciously absent from the scene.

 _Go_ _in_ , she told herself. Indeed the door might very well be simply another trap to murder her. The glass may as well be a projection simulating a room. She decided to open the door to examine the interior first.

The glass wasn't lying. The inside looked exactly as it was indicated on the panel. The cracking of the hinge alerted the woman inside.

"Please come talk to me."

Chell slowly, with a hint of uncertainty to trust her, made her way to the sofa where the lady was seated.

"Is that—" She wishfully looked up at her.

"Who are you?" Chell stared at her.

"My name is Caroline," she sobbed again despite her efforts to stop herself from crying.

"I used to work here, as a secretary."

"Portrait. In Test Shaft nine."

Caroline nodded.

"I heard a lot about you," Chell began to use her voice again, "Your boss wanted your intelligence to be uploaded to a computer."

"I told him not to." Caroline hanged her head down again.

A sympathetic vibe hit her. The company has done everything to hurt her, and all she could do to relieve the pain is to endlessly cry. There's no one to talk to in this seemingly abandoned setting. Why was she sent here? Did Aperture assign someone to imprison her here on the false pretense that she was on the verge of creating something to bring her— and the business, to new heights? The sheer disappointment that must've brought her.

Chell can feel it.

"My name is Chell," she offers her hand.

Caroline took it. She places a second hand on her gesture.

"Thank you," she bit her lip to contain herself, "I just wanted to apologize."

Chell took a chair with her free hand, and sat down. She had seen her on the portrait, heard her voice and interactions with Cave Johnson, realized that her mind was planned to be uploaded to a computer, and now sitting alone, crying to herself, and when she entered the room, the look of relief on her face. She looked into the woman's eyes, still with a hint of tears, apologetically.

"I have something to tell you."

Chell prepared for the worst, and closed her eyes.

"You are definitely more _vocal_ than I have previously thought." GLaDOS' voice returned.

She jumped from her chair. A pane of glass slammed into the room, segregating her and Caroline.

"No!" Caroline yelled as GLaDOS began to torment her, "She's lying! Don't trust her!"

"Well, I've had enough of your two," the robot complained, "Let's get your _friend_ out of here."

The glass panel sandwiched her between the now-torn sofa, and the wall, and began to recede away.

Chell had her Portal Gun ready.

"Don't trust her!" Caroline's final resort was issued as she was whisked away.

"Finally," GLaDOS responded, "We get to test again."

She sense that the room is closing in onto her, and began to run.


	2. Sweet Memories

"Can you believe all of this? I can't. Maybe I overestimated your abilities. Maybe I overestimated your desire to ruthlessly murder. Me."

The age-old killing tale. Every player and Portal fan-fiction writer known full well it's just not what it is. But yet…

Chell sat against the wall in front of a deadly laser trap. She gave the panel she's sitting on a few knocks to confirm that it's safe to be sat on. She knew it wouldn't help at all, as GLaDOS could swiftly take it away if she desired. But this in a way gave her a bit of comfort.

Her mind drifted to the scattered memories gifted to her. No matter how hard her oppressor may try, no matter how few failures they claim the memory-formatting system she was forced into would produce.

There is always someone who could fall through the cracks.

Caroline woke up in a tiny office room. A small syringe was inserted into her left arm, with the plunger pushed all the way in. She gritted her teeth and slowly pulled it out. Her vision was blurry at first, but as it settled it was clear that she was given a sedative.

"Pink Relief syringe form 75cc." Her secretarial mindset resonated within her as she uttered the item's details back to herself. "Injection date— unknown."

She pushed herself against the floor as she stumbled into a stance. Her stilettos clacked in irregular beats as she struggled to keep herself afloat.

She held onto the cubicle walls as she began to falter physically. But her might is what won him over in the first place.

 _Miss Faraday cannot fail herself, or he will get mad._

Caroline stayed left and wrangled herself into her own cubicle, and slumped onto her own chair. She took a good look at the calendar. The first thirteen days were crossed off for the month.

Friday, July 14, 1961. This very day was circled.

 _Nineteen sixty…one? Did I go back… No._

She snapped out of it, and surveyed the rest of her desk. It was mostly empty, save for a few paperweights, and a small velveted blue box was stacked on top of a laced envelope, dated the exact same day as the calendar.

A small sheet of ripped paper annotated her desk.

 _I thought you would appreciate this timeless memento from some of your— happier times. From yourself._

The secretary picked up the box, and gently opened it. It was a steel ring bind with traces of tungsten. Within the loop inscribed "7.14.61. CJ/CF."

She covered her mouth in disbelief, and examined her free hand. There was no ring.

 _I am… married?_

She opened the envelope, and read another message.

 _Happy birthday! You should be proud, I don't usually wish anyone. Or for that matter, inviting them to dinner. Seriously. We're hitting confidential territory here. This is scandalous._

She giggled.

 _Anyway. Since today's a Friday, everyone will go home earlier. But this little workaholic loves overtime for some reason. Come on, treat yourself. Tonight before seven. The Lake. Lay off the white dress and wear something beautiful. I checked, the wind's will be low so don't worry about exposure._

 _But who am I kidding? It will be hard for anyone to take eyes off of this marvel._

 _Finish up early, and come early. I know you will._

 _Cave_

She was in awe of this letter and sat down while carefully inserting it back into the small envelope.

 _I don't remember any of this happening, but it certainly sounds amazing._

Caroline retrieved her diary above her clipboard. A page was bookmarked off.

 _Friday July 14, 1961_

 _Mr. Johnson left extra early today. I checked the clock, it's 3:22 in the afternoon when he did. I guess he, too, had very few work to do. I delivered the papers for his signing as usual, but the stack was significantly lighter and thinner. The jokes he was cracking was toned down a bit today. Struck me as odd. He only wished me a happy birthday before leaving his office._

 _The teams have been hard at work, though. A lowly secretary like me can only watch. I asked them if they needed any help, but with the warmest of smiles they dismiss me to have time to myself._

 _When I got back to the desk, there's a letter left on the tabletop for me. He invited me out to the same restaurant where he first seriously asked me out. I shouldn't be commenting on him, but he could be really charming at times._

 _I try my hardest to not disappoint him. He sounds sincere enough through the paper. It's just my birthday, what else could be that special?_

 _That's all the time I have. He made me pick out something nice, so I'll be through my wardrobe._

 _Surely he won't be planning any surprises. Had he?_

 _Caroline_

A tear slowly rolled down her cheek as she began picking up on the version of Caroline that the ring and the diary belonged to.

A Black Forest cake. A buttoned-up suitor. The claim that it was a "birthday dinner". The reveal that he hid a little inside his jacket. Getting down on one knee and promised her the future. Breaking down in tears and hardly containing her joy. Accepting it and the embrace they shared. The patrons that were equally overjoyed for her.

It all came back to her now. She raised the ring box to her face again.

"Oh, hello, Chell. I think you are begging to know where she has gone. Don't worry, it's all a very beautiful trip down memory lane for her. If you were a little more _compassionate_ , you may feel for her as well. But you are heartless and utterly cruel. And cruel people have no business being respected."

The test subject largely ignored her.

"She is just so much fun to play with. I won't hurt her. Unlike what you will do."


End file.
